On Tuesday 12th October Prof. Sibel Erduran will be giving us a seminar talk entitled – Teaching and learning of science and religion in schools: Perspectives from research on argumentation.
Join us online for the talk followed by Q&A. A link to this Zoom webinar can be found below.
Abstract
The teaching and learning of science and religion in schools have often been positioned in opposition to each other. Yet, both subjects address big questions such as “what is the origin of the universe and life?” and as such, both subjects lend themselves for cross-curricular consideration. Argumentation, or the justification of knowledge claims with evidence and reasons, is one example that applies to the curricula and syllabi of both science and religious education in England. In the context of science education, there has been a growing body of research on argumentation in the past two decades. However, cross-subject investigations on argumentation is fairly scarce. For instance, although much has been researched about the teaching and learning of the evolution versus intelligent design debate, research and development on argumentation as a pedagogical strategy at the interphase of science and religious education is practically unexplored. The purpose of this presentation is to share some research from the OARS Project funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. The 3-year project engaged science and religious education (RE) teachers in a continuous professional development programme about argumentation. Data from the teachers as well as their Key Stage 3 students have been collected to investigate through qualitative and quantitative methods how argumentation can help cross-curricular collaboration in schools. Findings will be shared which will include how teachers and students interpret argumentation in both science and RE contexts.
